Piano-player.



B. T. TURNEY.

PIANO PLAYER.

APPLIOATION FILED OUT. 16, 1911.

' 1,102,61 3. Patented July 7, 1914.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

THE NORRiS PETERS CO1. PHoTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. D. L.

E. T. TURNEY.

PIANO PLAYER.

APPLICATION FILED 0GT.16,1911.

1,102,61 Patented July 7, 19%

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE T. TURNEY, OF DAVENPORT, IOWA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TOAMERICAN PLAYER ACTION COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEWYORK.

PIANO-PLAYER.

To (ZZZ ta/2.0m it may mmcerm Bevit known that I, EUGENE T. TURNEY, acitizen of the United States, residing at Davenport, in the county ofScott and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Improvement inPiano-Players, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to improvements in piano players, and hasspecial reference to that portion of a piano player which effects themovement of the piano action; and the objects of my invention are,first, the production of a simple mechanism for this purpose; second,the production of a mechanism which may be easily got at for adjustmentor repair; and, third, to secure an increase in power and speed of sucha mechanism.

1 effectuate the above objects by means of the mechanism illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation, partially in section, of a portion of myinvention; Fig. 2 is a transverse elevation, partially in section, takenon section line 1-1 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a partial plan of my invention;Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line 2-2 of Fig. 2; andFig. 5 is a planof a valve-stem guide and valve seat.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the severalviews.

The reference numeral, 1, designates a rectangular casing, which extendsentirely across the portion of the piano which is occupied by the pianoaction. In the easing, 1, is a rectangular channel, 2, which extendsthroughout the casing, 1, and the ends of which are closed by plugs, 3.As shown in Fig. 1, 1 usually employ three such casings and channels,located one above the other, and the channels are connected bypassage-ways, 4, and from them leads a tubing, 5, to the vacuumproducing mechanism, not shown. These casings, 1, with the channels, 2,are usually known as the wind-chests, and the fronts thereof are closedby the packing, 6, and the frontboard, 7, which comprise a portion ofthe casing, 1, and are secured thereto, by the screws, 8.

The front of the lower or bottom wall of the casing, 1, lying under thechannel, 2, is beveled backwardly at 9, and a hole 10, is drivenbackwardly through the lower wall Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 18, 1911.

Patented July *7, 1914.

Serial No. 655,076.

from the inclined portion, 9, into the wall of the casing back of thechannel, 2. This hole, 10, communicates with a cavity, 11, provided inthe lower wall of the casing, 1, and extending into the channel, 2. Thecav ity, 11, and the channel, 2, are separated from each other by thepliable diaphragm, 12, and over the front of the hole, 10, upon theinclined front face of the lower wall of the casing, 1, at 9, isprovided a piece of suitable material. 13, in which is a bleedhole, 14,establishing communication between the channel, 2, hole, 10, and cavity,

'11, the bleed hole standing in a horizontal direction with one endtoward the front of the chest.

A vertical channel, 14 is provided in the rear wall of the casing, 1,running from the top thereof into connection with the rear of the hole,10.

A piece of tubing, 15, is driven into the channel, 14, past the top wallof the casing, 1, and suflicient of the tubing, 15, is permit ted toextend from the casing, 1, in order to secure thereto a'tubing toconnect with the tracker-board, not shown. A hole, 16, is boreddownwardly through the top wall of the casing. 1, into communicationwith the channel, 2. -The lower portion of the hole. 16, is constructedto form the annular shoulder. 17, on which is seated a valvestem-guideand valve seat, 18. The upper end of the hole, 16, is enlarged toprovide the annular shoulder, 19, on which is seated another valve-stemguide and valve seat, 20.

As clearly shown in Fig. 5, the valvestem guide and valve seat comprisesa disk of suitable material, 21, which has punched from the centerthereof an aperture or apertures, 22, and extending from the edgeportion of the disk, 21, into the aperture, 22, is an arm. 23, in thecenter of which is provided a hole, 24, to accommodate a valvestem. Anaperture, 25, is driven into the upper wall of the casing, 1, from theback thereof, tomeet the hole, 16, between the annular shoulders, 17 and19. A valvestem, 26, is fitted into the valve-stem guides, 18 and 20,which extends into the channel, 2, and on the lower end of which is abutton, 27, the lower end of which is felt-shod.

.valveestem, 26, is provided a valve, 28,

and also upon the valve-stem, 26, is provided another valve, 29.Vertically disposed and secured to the casing, 1, back of the hole, 25,is a bellows-block, 30, to the lower end of which is pivoted a movablebellows-block, 31. The bellows-blocks, 30 and 31, are connected by meansof bellows-folds, 32, and the bellows thus formed communicates with thehole, 25, through a passage, 33, in the bellows-block, 30. To the lowerend of the movable bellows-block, 31, is secured at substantiallyright-angles an arm, 34. This extends backwardly into proximity with thesticker 35 of the piano action, upon the front of which is secured abracket, 36. A screw, 37, passes downwardly through the bracket, 36, andcarries upon the end thereof a felt-shod button, 38, which may beadjusted by means of the screw, 37, to assume the desired relation withthe arm, 34.

The operation of my device is as follows: A partial vacuum ismaintained, by mechanism not shown, in the channels, 2. This draws thevalve, 28*, upon the valve-seat, 18, thereby carrying the valve, 29, offthe valve-seat, 20, and permitting the air to pass through the holes andchannels, 16. and. 25, into the bellows-folds, 32-, which fall outwardby gravity and permit the piano act-ion to rest in its normal position.When a perforation in the music-roll comes into coincidence with thehole in the trackerboard which is in connection with tubing leading tothe channel, 15, air enters the cavity, 11, through the channels orholes, 14; and 10, thereby forcing the diaphragm 12 upwardly, which inits turn raises the valve-stem 26, and seats the valve, 29, upon thevalve-seat 20, and opens or raises the valve, 28, from the valve-seat,18. This action closes the communication between the bellows-folds, 32,and the outside atmosphere, and establishes connection between saidfolds, and the partially exhausted channel, 2, through the holes orchannels, 32, 25 and 16. This effects the closing of the bellows, andthe elevation or rotation of the arm, 34:, andthus the moving of thecorresponding sticker 35. When the air is again shut off from connectionwith the tubing, 15, the air is emptied from the cavity, 11, through thehole, 10, and bleed-hole, 14, thereby permitting the diaphragm, 12, tofall, the outside atmosphere forces the valve, 29, downwardly off itsseat and opens communication between the outside air and thebellows-folds, at the same time effecting the re-seating of the valve,28, which closes communication between the bellows-folds and thechannels, 2.

As will be seen from Fig. 1, I arrange the groups of mechanism foreffecting the movement of the piano. action in staggered relation,thereby greatly economizing longitudinal space lVith my device it iseasy to perceive that the valves may be easily taken apart and examined,without in any way disturbing any other portion of the mechanism. Bremoving the screws, 8, the front-board, 7, and packing, 6, may be takenaway and access had to the diaphragm, 12, and bleed-hole, 14, withoutdisturbing the rest of the mechanism. It is also well known that thelength of channel greatly affects the power and rapidity of the action,and it will be readily seen that my arrangement of valves and channelsis extremely compact and short. It will also be perceived that the rigidconnection between the arm, 34, and the movable bellows-block, 3'1,secures considerable leverage, and extremely desirable, positive anddirect movement of the piano. action.

The arranging of the bellows in vertical positions with arms 34 mountedon the movable members of the bellows near their hinged ends permits ofbringing the bellows close to the stickers. 34 are free and operatemerely by engaging the undersides of the projections on the stickers.This arrangement facilitates the introduction of the pneumatic mechanismin the very restricted space which is provided in some players. The arms34 are preferably made shorter than the movable members 32 of thebellows which increases the power of the stroke and also brings thebellows close to the stickers. In the case illustrated the arms 34 aremade'so short that the movable members 32 of the bellows are brought asclose tothe stickers as is possible having regard to a proper clearanceand to the introduction of the mechanism.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters,

Patent, is:

1. A player piano including incombination vertical stickers fortransmitting the movements of the keys, a vacuum chest having a vacuumchamber therein, bellows mounted in vertical positions on the back ofsaid vacuum chest, valves for connecting said bellows with said chamberand with the atmosphere alternately, said valves being located' in thetop wall of said chest, diaphragms and diaphragm chambers communicatingwith the tracker board and located in the lower wall of said chest foroperating said valves, said diaphragm chambers. communicating throughbleed holes with said vacuum chamber, said bleed holes being in ahorizontal position with one end toward the front of the chest, saidchest having" a readily removable front wall to permit access to: saiddi'aph-ragms and bleed holes and arms projecting substantiallyhorizontall from the hinge ends of the movable mem ers of said bellows,said arms having free ends engaging the undersidcs of projections onsaid stickers and being shorterthan the-momhh members of the bellows soas to bring said bellows close to the stickers and to act on saidstickers with a more powerful stroke than that of said movable members.

2. A player piano including in combination vertical stickers fortransmitting the movements of the'keys, a vacuum chest in front of thestickers, bellows mounted in a vertical position on the back of saidvacuum chest and arms projecting substantially horizontally from thehinge ends of the movable members of said bellows, said arms having freeends engaging projections on said stickers and being shorter than themovable members of the bellows so as to bring said bellows close to thestickers and to act with a more powerful stroke than that of saidmovable members.

3. A player piano including in combination vertical stickers fortransmitting the movements of the keys, a plurality of separated winclchests at difierent levels, tracker tubes entering the tops of thedifferent wind chests, a removable front wall for each of said windchests, bellows mounted in vertical positions on the back of said windchests and arms mounted on the movable members of said bellows andhaving free ends adapted to engage the undersides of projections on thestickers, so as to bring said bellows close to said stickers and tofacilitate the introduction of the pneumatic mechanism in a limitedspace.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twowitnesses.

EUGENE T. TURNEY.

Witnesses:

AUGUST SEBELIEN, RAYMOND J. CUPLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, I). 0.

